Electrical contact assembly with offset contact structure



July 20, 1965 s. MAELSTAF 3,196,222

ELECTRICAL CONTACT ASSEMBLY WITH OFFSET CONTACT STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 15, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.2

l N VENTOR Serge Maelsaf ATTORNEYS July 20,1965 s. MALSTAF 3,196,222

ELECTRICAL CONTACT ASSEMBLY WITH OFFSET CONTACT STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 15, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.7

INVENToR 5er-9g Maelsfaf ATTORNEYS FIGB United States Patent O 3,196,222 ELECTRICAL CQNTACT ASSEMBLY WITH OFFSET CNTACT STRUCTURE Serge Ma'e'lstaf, Charenton, France, assigner to LElectro- Commutation (Elcom), Vosges, France, a French company Filed Feb. 15, 1960, Ser. No. 8,779 Clmms priority, application France, Feb. 19, 1959, 781,163 3 Claims. (Cl. 26h-1l) In order to make desired connections in electrical or electronic circuits or to modify their operation, it is usual to employ a number of members such as for example switches of all kinds, multi-pin plugs and sockets, relays, and so on, and these are constituted, wholly or in part, by assembling contact members on a rigid insulating support, said contact members being fixed on or in the insulating support through which they completely pass.

Hitherto the fixing of such conductive members on the support was effected in practice either by directly moulding them in the material of the support or by mechanical means such as screws and nuts or eyelets, or by crimping or riveting and so on. All these means inevitably cause stresses in the materials and these stresses may cause the destruction of the insulating support, particularly if the latter is made from porcelain or a brittle resin for example, or its deformation where it is of a laminated construction for example. It may even happen that owing to Variations of temperature and/ or humidity, these stresses become changed, thus often causing a deformation of the insulating support and hence impairing the conditions of operation.

It is an object of the invention to remedy these disadvantages.

Considered from a most general point of View, the invention provides, in the case of such assemblies that each contact member and two elements constituting the insulating rigid support shall have a staggered relationship in such a manner that said contact members are completely fixed in position when the two elements have been joined together along two plane faces. The assembly will then have been achieved without causing any stress in the materials which are brought together, and the above mentioned drawbacks are substantially avoided. Besides this advantage, the cost of the assembly is substantially reduced, since the manufacturing operations become extremely simple and do not entail any complicated tooling.

Accordingly, the invention consists in an electrical circuit connection member of the kind comprising one or more contact members fixed in relation to a rigid insulating support through which they extend, in which the rigid insulating support is constituted by two elements, having plane faces which are rigidly joined together along a plane into which recesses formed in the thickness of the said elements open from each side of the support, each recess of one of the elements co-operating with a recess of the other element, each two cro-operating recesses both partly extending in the prolongation of the other and also partly masking the adjacent element, the part of each Contact member which passes through the insulating support being formed and dimensioned so as to completely till up two co-operating recesses.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which show two specific embodiments thereof by way of example only, and in which:

FIGURE l shows an assembly comprising certain parts of a rotary selector switch, in plan view from the side or face including the contact surfaces of the studs,

3,196,222 Patented July 20, 1965 FIGURE 2 is a cross-section along the line II-II of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 shows a perspective view of one of the contact studs of FIGURES 1 and 2 inserted in the insulating support which latter is shown in section,

FIGURE 4 shows the stud of FIGURE 3, in section along its fixing plane,

FIGURE 5 shows an assembly of a second embodiment of rotary selector switch employing fiat contact studs also in plan view from the side or face including the contact surfaces of the studs.

FIGURE 6 is a cross-section along the line VI-VI of FIGURE 5,

FIGURE 7 shows a perspective view of one of the contact studs of FIGURES 5 and 6 inserted in the insulating support which latter is shown in section, and

FIGURE 8 shows the stud of FIGURE 7, shown in section along its ixing plane.

Referring to the drawings, the first specific embodiment to which FIGURES l, 2, 3 and 4 relate, concerns the fixed part of a rotary selector switch comprising cylindrical contact members cut from a rod of a suitable metal, and being fixed in position by the rigid insulating support through or into which they extend.

The rigid insulating support is constituted by two elements 1 and 2 which are rigidly joined together along two plane faces and assembled by three eyelets 3 or by any other suitable assembly means.

In the thickness of each of these elements 1 and 2 there is provided a series of cylindrical recesses intended to receive a series of contact members or studs 4, 4, disposed in such a manner that when said elements 1 and 2 are assembled together, each recess of one element cooperates with a recess of the other, the two co-operating recesses being each partly in the prolongation of the other and being each partly masked by its adjacent element.

Moreover, in that part of the contact member 4, 4 which passes through the two elements 1 and 2, constituting the insulating support, the section is offset in the fixing plane by pushing or twisting one part in relation to the other, (FIG. 4) which thus divides the member into two relatively eccentric parts.

When effecting the assembly, all these parts 4 or 4 of the contact members which are situated on the same side of the insulating support are introduced respectively into the recesses of the corresponding element 1 or 2, and then all the other parts of the members are introduced into the recesses of the other element in such a manner that, when the two elements are joined together, each pair of co-operating recesses is completely filled up by the part of the contact member which passes through it.

In this state, each contact member is prevented on al1 sides from displacement and is perfectly fixed in relation to the insulating support without causing any stress in the materials.

The second embodiment to which FIGURES 5, 6, 7 and 8 relate, also concerns the fixed part of a rotary selector switch, but in this case comprising fiat contact members cut from a strip of suitable metal and these parts are, as in FIGURES l to 4, fixed by the elements of the rigid insulating support through which they pass.

The rigid insulating support is constituted by two elements 11 and 12 joined together along two plane faces and assembled by three eyelets 13 or by any other suitable means.

In the thickness of each of these elements 11 and 12 is provided a series of slot-shaped recesses to receive a series of contact members 14, 14 disposed in such a manner that, when said elements 11 and 12 are assembled together, each slot of one element co-operates with a Y alcanza slot of the other, the two cci-operating slots crossing each other in their geometrical centre in such a manner that the ends of each are masked by the adjacent element Jill or T12, similar to the arrangement of FGURES l1 to 4. 1n this embodiment also, in that parrot the contact member M1, i4 which Vpasses through the two elementsV 11 and 12, the thickness of the section is cnt into from cach extremity, preferably for the samerlength, in order to partially separate the member into two parts whose planes are then caused to cross each other by imparting a twist to the remaining common section.

When assembling, all the parts M1 or i4' of the contact members which are situated on the same side of the in sulating support are respectively introduced into the siots of the corresponding element il or i2, and ali the other parts of members are introducedinto the sots of the other element in such a manner that, when the two eleents El and 12 are ioined together, each Ypair of cooperating slots is completely filled up by the part of the contact member which passes through it.

in this state each Contact member is prevented on all sides from'displacement and is perfectly fixed in relation to the insulating support without causing any stress in the materials.

I claim: Y

l. An electrical circuit contact assembly comprising a rigid insulating support constituted by two iiat plate-like apertured elements, said elements being secured together face to face with the apertures in the respective elements paired but having a partiai displacement from precise superposition, and each said aperture containing a contact mem er, said Contact member fitting into and filling said aperture, whereby the one contact member of each pair is prevented from intruding into the space of its pair contact member by said partial displacement, andthe assembly is thus kept substantiaily tree of mechanical strain upon said. supports. Y

2. A member as ciaimed in claim li, in which the contact members comprise cyiindrical studs having two parts which are eccentricaily disposed relative to each other,

` each of said apertures being of cyiindrical shape.

3. A member as claimed in ciaim l, in which the contact members have a fiat shape and comprise two parts which are staggered relative to each other, each of said apertures being rectangular.

Reterences Cited by the Examiner UNlTED STATES PATENTS 591,l26 10/97 Cole 2%()--156 2,558,851 7/51 Jacobi 339--217 X 2,723,384V l1/55 Lang E39-194 2,816,795 10/57 Hartsock 2C14 2,969,520 l/6l Waldo 339-105 2,982,883 5/61 Gordy A3? 9 75 X BERNARD A. GILHEANY, Primary Examiner.

MAX. L. LEVY, Examiner. 

1. AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT CONTACT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A RIGID INSULATING SUPPORT CONSTITUTED BY TWO FLAT PLATE-LIKE APERTURED ELEMENTS, SAID ELEMENTS BEING SECURED TOGETHER FACE TO FACE WITH THE APERTURES IN THE RESPECTIVE ELEMENTS PAIRED BUT HAVING A PARTIAL DISPLACEMENT FROM PRECISE SUPERPOSITION, AND EACH SAID APERTURE CONTAINING A CONTACT MEMBER, SAID CONTACT MEMBER FITTING INTO AND FILLING SAID APERTURE, WHEREBY THE ONE CONTACT MEMBER OF EACH PAIR IS PREVENTED FROM INTRUDING INTO THE SPACE OF ITS PAIR CONTACT MEMBER BY SAID PARTIAL DISPLACEMENT, AND THE ASSEMBLY IS THUS KEPT SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF MECHANICAL STRAIN UPON SAID SUPPORTS. 